My Reflection on the “Seven Last Words"

First Word:

“Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you – this is the golden rule, a very popular mantra which all of us know, yet few of us actually follow. How do we relate to others? Do we treat them with kindness and sincerity? Do we treat others as slaves? Do we relate to others for the sake of our self-vested interests? Are we using other people to serve our best and not theirs? Are we giving them what they are worth of?

If we come to reflect at how we treat people, we may have different considerations. Having many friends does not assure us that we are being good to others. In my perspective, how sincere we are to others and how we are making others become a better person is a concrete way of being a good social being. Yet, it is not enough. Ultimately, we should bring other people closer to God by how we relate to them. I may not have done this perfectly yet but I hope I have made a positive impact to other people through who I am and how I relate to them.

Second Word:

“I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

PARADISE. This is something that everyone dreams of, everyone aims to go to, and everyone strives to discover. What is a paradise? Is it something of extravagant lights? Is it something of fresh air and good scenery? Is it something of fun people and gleeful environment? Is it the feeling of being meritorious? Is it the feeling of self gratification or self realization?

Paradise is in our hearts. Paradise is relatively different for each of us depending on how we tried to discover it and how we accept it. Nevertheless, one thing God has promised us. We will be in paradise once we believe in Him. Believing in him means surrendering our lives to God. When we submit our lives to him, everything we experience and everything we see …is paradise.

Third Word:

“Dear woman, here is your son.”

I really like listening to the Tagalog version of this “Ina, narito ang iyong anak; Anak, narito ang iyong ina”. I am a woman, yet I’m not yet a mother. However, I know how a mother sacrifices for her kids. I know how proud a mother is when her child accomplishes something. I know how grateful a mother is when she sees her child growing to be a daughter/son of God. Most of all, I know how painful for a mother it is to see her daughter/son suffering from pain. This is all because “I am a daughter” and I’m thankful of how my mother has brought me up.

As a child, I may not have experienced the lures in life that other kids may have experienced, I may not have the best things in life, I may not have much when I was young, I may not have a perfect family but I AM SO PROUD that God has given me a wonderful family who perfectly taught me values and endlessly take care of me.

To my parents, Mom and Dad, I am so grateful that you two are my parents. We may not have a perfect family but I guess it was meant to teach me to be strong, to be good, to be excellent, and to be a better person. To my siblings, my sis and bro, I am so thankful that God gave such wonderful people who can perfectly blend well with me. We may have fights, arguments, and disagreements, but we are always tied to each other simply because we are of the same blood and we are all children of God.

Fourth Word:

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Each of us walk different paths in life, some may have a bit easy one and others may complain that it is too much. But one thing I’m sure is that each of us are given different types of struggles in life. Each of us is given different kinds of strength and stamina to go through and overcome such trials. However, there are times in our lives that we could somehow think that God has forsaken us, that life is unfair, that our sufferings are too much, that we can’t surpass it anymore, that our resources are not enough, and that God is not helping us at all.

Despite of all those doubts, all those questions, and all the skepticism, surely God will deliver an angel to make us realize that whatever stumbling block we are thrown at, there is a blessing in disguise.

As the well-known saying goes, there’s a rainbow after the rain. This happens if we continue to trust and believe in the power of His love. God never leaves us!

Fifth Word:

“I am thirsty.”

This word which came out from Jesus is also the same word that many of us are saying nowadays. It is summer season and we just couldn’t endure the scorching heat. We thirst and we want it to be quenched through any form of liquid that could ease this kind of uncomfortable feeling.

Same goes true with our lives, we have different kinds of thirsts, we “thirst” for recognition, promotion, wealth, success, good life, self-gratification, and the list could extend to as long as you can imagine. Yet, have we thought whether these thirsts are worthy to be quenched? Is it really worthy to ask for these?

Sixth Word:

“It is finished!”

This word which was uttered by Jesus before he died simply signifies that he has done the ultimate act of saving mankind. This means he has done his part; he has done what has been entrusted to him by God, the Father. It is finished! We are officially saved!

BUT, is that all? Are we really saved? Have we done our part? In salvation, God can do His part but we should also do our part. For us to be truly saved, we should abide to the rules of God. We can’t be perfect, we commit mistakes, but “have we asked for forgiveness?”

Personally, I can say that I commit mistakes and there are those I commit repeatedly. Of course, I want to be saved but I am not sure yet if I have done enough to be worthy of His salvation. Nevertheless, I truly believe that God is a forgiving God. So, I can claim that I will be saved.

Seventh Word:

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” 

For mankind, I could say that this is the concrete act of following God. Entrusting everything to Him is the greatest thing a person could do. Why? Because when you entrust yourself and your life to God, you will accept everything that goes with it, easy or challenging, good or bad. In entrusting everything to Him, we forget our own desires, our personal interests, and our selfish motives.

This could be an ultimate act of being a good follower of God but this is not an easy thing. This is one of the most difficult to do. For us, humans, it’s not easy to give up our own desires. We oftentimes plan and schedule everything for the achievement of our goals, and objectives in life and we forget to follow what God has planned for us.

These SEVEN LAST WORDS have really made me realize that I should do my part to be worthy of His sacrifice. 

PHOTO CREDITS:

Google Images

www.jesuswalk.com (first picture)

en-gb.facebook.com (1^st word)

en-gb.facebook.com (2^nd  word)

wanderingmedic.wordpress.com (3^rd word)

capfrans.blogspot.com (4^th word)

www.nwcrc.ca (5^th word)

www.becomingastrongwomanofgod.com (6^th word)

en-gb.facebook.com  (7^th word)

Religious Spots in Cebu: The Most-Visited Churches

Cebu is now the “Manila of the Visayas” as most people would say. Why? This is probably because this provincial region has now become more modernized --- more business establishments, recreational opportunities, technological advancements, and many more. Apart from this, Cebu is now becoming a hot destination to many tourists. I guess one of the reasons would be the modernizations, the scenic tourist spots, as well as the historical landmarks which have become a big part of the Philippine history. Because of these things, I have been so interested about Cebu. Another thing that made me really want to go there is that I speak a language which is considered the main language in the area, the Cebuano. I speak Visayan (or Cebuano), Dumaguete version. My hometown is very close to Cebu but since I studied high school and college in Luzon, I didn’t have the chance to go that nearby town in my entire life until last month, January 2013.

When I reached the place, it made me think that Cebu is like a combination of Dumaguete and Metro Manila. Yet, one thing I noticed, especially around Cebu City is that there are a lot of historical landmarks and churches. And since I was with all women during the trip (Catholic women, to be specific), we have agreed to visit the many churches and/or religious spots in Cebu. It was just great to find out some unique characteristics of each spot.

Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño

My snapshots of some parts of the church (look at that structure!)

Magellan's Cross (This can be found just few steps from the exit of Basilica Minore. When I saw this in pictures before, I thought it's a wide place. ^^)

Basilica Minore Del Sto. Niño Museum (This is just few steps from the entrance of the church.)

During our first day, this was the first church we visited. One reason may be is that it’s the most well-known and one of the oldest. Aside from that, it was the closest to our hotel (Cebu Business Hotel) located at Colon St. It was just walking distance from the hotel actually. Yet, since we were not familiar with the place by that time, we rode on a multi-cab passenger jeepney [Trivia: passenger jeepneys in Cebu have specific number-letter combination, e.g. 12D, 10E which corresponds to their route and/or point of origin and destination. I was actually surprised to know that! ^_^). When we were back to the hotel later that day we realized that we could just have taken a good dose of walk going there.

Being one of the first churches to be established in the Philippines, it is very noticeable that the style, and structure are kinda old. From outside, you could easily see the traditional (or should I say, old Hispanic?) type of architecture. Inside, you can see different images of some saints but the most renowned there is the image of Sto. Niño. By the way, masses are conducted there form time to time, some are done in Cebuano and some in English. For travelers who cannot speak their language, you may check out http://basilicasantonino.org.ph for schedule of masses so you can attend the English mass. 

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

My photography session outside the church! ^_^

This was the last church we went to on our first day in Cebu. It was around 5 or 6 pm when we reached the holy place. Since it was dusk, it was already a little bit dark outside. However, the lighting of this church was really great. In fact I enjoyed taking picture outside the church. The contrast of the little-dark sky and the brightness of the church’s lights compliment well. When I got in the church, I was impressed with how modern and grand it looks, from the structure, to the paint, to the wall decorations, chandelier, and more. Another very notable thing inside is that there are a lot of tarpaulin and pictures of the recently recognized St, Pedro Calungsod.

Simala Shrine (Church of the Miraculous Mary)

The castle-like structure of Simala Shrine...

These are just some of the statues and paintings you can find inside the Shrine...

Stations of the Cross

This church is not close to Cebu city proper where our hotel is located. So, we had to travel to Marian Hills, Sibongan for around 2 to 3 hours by bus (locally, they call it Ceres --- name of a popular bus line). This place is one of the grandest holy places I have been. Upon entering the place, I could already see the castle-like structure of the church. If you’ll take pictures there, it would seem like you are posing near a castle, or probably, you are in some places in Italy. No matter how far it is, still a lot of people flock to the area. Why? Probably, Filipino’s belief on Mama Mary is still very strong. For the non-Catholic visitors, it’s probably because the place is very scenic --- it’s a like a castle in the midst of mountains. When I looked at the church, I couldn’t help but wonder how the church improved this much in just a short span of time. I have read some blogs and saw pictures of the place taken months or few years back and they weren't as scenic as the one I saw.

Inside the church, there are lot of things proving the testimonies of those people who have experienced miracles from Mama Mary. But, what amazed me was the so many figures of different Mary --- Mother Mary of China, Mother Mary of the Bride, Mother Mary of Good Voyage, and many more. The structures of the ceiling (with many artworks as well), the floors, and walls, and the architectural design really defines grandeur.

Taoist Temple

at the entrance of the temple

with my family and relatives...

You might wonder why I included this in the list. Yes, I’m a Catholic but I respect other religions --- their ways of worshiping, and their beliefs. I like the serenity of this place and how the staffs of this place are able to preserve the cleanliness and quietness of the area. If you’ll pray in the main altar, you could really do it with much concentration because people are not allowed to loiter in the place.